Tag: chickpeas

While in London, I ate french fries and gelato every single day. I also indulged in a pint (or two) of craft beer. Every single day. For a month straight. In short, my destructive, unhealthy diet was a sober vegan’s worst goddamn nightmare.

Needless to say, by the time I got home, I was prepping myself for an intense detox consisting of straight juiced kale and other horrible concoctions nutrition bloggers insist are good for the body and the soul.

While I didn’t *exactly* end up subjecting myself to some kind of horrible, liquid diet (I mean, last weekend was my birthday, so of course I was going to eat steak and cake!), I was able to come up with some yummy, clean recipes.

One recipe from the mix is this roasted vegetable orzo salad. It’s light and summery which made me extra excited to eat it for lunch all week.

Although I’m longing for sweater weather season with soup-based dinners and a nice mug of warm tea before bed every night, I’m still trying to push as much summer recipes into my life as I can before it’s too late!

This recipe is especially great served over spinach with a little extra dressing and a grilled chicken breast.

On a side note: My heartburn has gone away since I started incorporating more veggies and less french fries into my life. Weird right?!

Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad:

1 1/2 c. orzo pasta (whole wheat if you can find it)

2 zucchinis, cubed

2 yellow squashes, cubed

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

1 can chick peas, drained

1/2 c. walnuts, toasted

Crumbled feta, for topping (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil

2-3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

Onion powder, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch of sugar, agave, or honey

Preheat oven to 350* F. Toss zucchini, yellow squash, and bell peppers in olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Spread onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tender.

While pasta is boiling, whisk dressing ingredients together until incorporated.

To make the salad, mix cooled roasted veggies with the orzo, chickpeas, and walnuts. Pour dressing over the top and mix to coat the orzo. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Serve with crumbled feta over the top.

Makes 4 entree servings or 8 side servings.

Although I miss the nights of drinking pale ale at the Craft Beer Company in London, eating deep fried foods, and laughing with my friends, I’m also happy to be on a normal eating schedule again!

It’s also nice to not have to take an antacid before bed every single night.

This is perfect with fresh veggies and whole wheat toasted pita bread. I could go eat some right now, and I just might.

I even accidentally stabbed myself with my blender to make this stuff, so sacrifice was involved.

That’s how good hummus is. I’m willing to give some blood for it.

But somebody’s gotta do it, ya know?

Oh, did I mention how easy it is to make this? Even homemade tahini is so simple! Just blend up the tahini, scrape it out and make the hummus right away. No clean up involved. It only took me about 30 minutes, and I was on my way to Greek food heaven. Maybe gyros will happen this weekend? It’s so possible.

Follow the directions like this and you will have a perfectly smooth hummus! Any other way might not end up with the best results. Go with your gut, but keep in mind, this is my recommendation 😉

Spoon tahini into a blender.

Add fresh lemon juice…

Blend away! Let it just blend for a good two minutes. Scrape occasionally.

Add a bunch of chopped garlic!

And some salt.

And some paprika!

And don’t forget about the olive oil. My favorite of all the oils.

Blend it up! I actually used a little too much paprika so mine looked kind of reddish orange. You do not have to make my same mistakes, but you can if you want.

Add chick peas and blend until smooth and creamy. (At this point, it will be thick, so add some water to get it to the desired consistency).

Have I ever mentioned how good hummus is with warm whole wheat pita bread? It’s da best.

Drain chickpeas and rinse in cold water. Set aside to drain all of the water out.

Spoon the tahini in a blender and squeeze as much lemon juice as you can in with the tahini. Blend together for about 2 minutes, scraping occasionally. Add garlic, salt, paprika, and olive oil. Blend for a few more minutes, scraping sides occasionally.

Add chickpeas about 1 1/2 cups at a time. Blend thoroughly so that the hummus is nice and smooth. Add water to thin to desired consistency.